Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Well to start with, I strongly dissuade people who believe in chaos, indiscipline and hooliganism as the way of life to refrain from reading this review. I have no arguments against insoluble ignorance and stupidity. For the rest of the sane ones: go right ahead and match your thoughts against mine.

This is undoubtedly a path breaking creation from a man who is very much expected to churn out such wonders. Please put your hands together for this brilliant director “Shankar” who like Mani Ratnam, has mastered the art of story telling in his own distinct style.

Now for the review………..

Since the story has been widely discussed, I will try to keep it brief. It is about a Brahmin, Ambi, who is a stickler for rules and a person filled is despair and anguish for the mindless ways of people. His constant efforts to awaken a sense of responsibility and accountability end up in vain and is constantly an object of ridicule. The mental stress that results from it gives rise to the creation of another character called “Anniyan” within him. His advances towards a childhood love, Sada, also ends in tears and expectedly, a suave supermodel, Remo, is born within his mind. The drama that results forms the crux of the story.

Story & Screenplay…………As described above the story is quiet a clichéd one. What adds freshness to it is the concept of Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) treated in a way never seen before on the Indian screens. The screenplay drags quiet a bit in the first half, but is very much made up for in the second half where the story zooms to stunning climax. Vivek provides the much needed lighter moments in the initial stages of the movie. But the pre-interval portions can definitely be trimmed to make it racier.

Actors……….Well, Vikram takes it all. Undoubtedly a rare talent who with persistent efforts and perseverance has made it to the top and here in this movie, he shows why exactly he deserves it. One of the best actors to have graced the silver screens in this part of the world.He simply excels himself in all the 3 roles. He couldn’t have asked for a better platform to bring out the very best in him and be rest assured, he hasn’t missed an ounce of it. The rapid change in the body language during the final interrogation scenes are mind boggling and extrudes applause from even the toughest critic to please. He can afford to rest on these laurels for the rest of his career. In one word, OUTSTANDING.

Stunt…………We have all marvelled, the stunt technique in “Matrix”. Peter Hein and his team brings home this phenomenon. I read comments from a couple of people saying it was overdone and irrelevant in the present set-up. If those chimerical fights from a virtual concept makes so much sense then I cant find a better reason as to why it would not make sense in a scenario dealing with a weird mental disorder. Let us learn to applaud this effort which didn’t come amidst the seasoned technicians in Hollywood but from our very own studios in kollywood!!!

Music & Background score………..Rehaman is definitely missed in this domain, but fear not, Harris comes to the rescue. His songs and background score add strength to the movie. And brilliant cinematography from the Ravi Varman and Manikandan duo has further complimented it. These guys are very much propelling the Indian cinema ahead.

Direction………….Now, about the captain at helm. After the outrage against Boys, Shankar has picked up his threads and woven splendid feast to silence his critics (well almost….. some are irrevocably dumb). His efforts and commitment speak aloud in every frame of the movie. During the times, when everyone are resorting to sleaze and extra marital affair as a means of selling movie, here is a person who stands by his class and calibre to prove a point that innovation and efforts are all that is required to blast his way to success. His yearning for a more disciplined and successful country is visible all throughout the movie. If media can be described as a watch dog, then this man is it’s driving force. He did it with all his creations, from Gentleman to Anniyan. A tiring journey for sure but not quiet thankless and the rewards are there to be seen in the thoughtful faces that walk out of the halls. To entertain is goodness, but to enlighten while entertaining is GREATNESS.To handle a clichéd concept and to come out all triumphs is a mark of this man. His brilliance lies in the fact that, inspite of handling a subject very similar to his previous creation (Indian, Gentleman and Muthalvan), and also reminding us of its glaring presence in almost 80% of the movie, he does an amazing turn around to shift the focus to the mental disorder in Vikram during the final stages of the movie.